Journal of an Eorzean White Mage
by Torma Matra
Summary: This is a story written from the perspective of an aspiring White Mage as he writes down his adventures across Eorzea in his journal. The story takes place in an alternate Eorzea where warriors of light don't exist and the duty to change the realm is left to common adventurers. Some minor things are also changed to add a little personal flavor to the story... I hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

Journal of an Eorzean White Mage

Entry #1

Date: 3rd Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon

Another hot day in Ul'dah it seems. But then again, thinking back on it now, the only time Ul'dah isn't unbearably hot is when it rains once in a blue moon. If you were to ask me, Ul'dah wouldn't be my idea of a good time.

My, my... I have no idea how to start these journal entries. I do think it is a good idea to record my adventures somewhere though, who knows when I might look back on something like this. Your generosity will not be wasted, I do appreciate you giving me a journal, Eldin.

Perhaps I should start of by writing a little bit about myself...

My name is Torma Matra. I am a 20 year old Male Plainsfolk Lalafell. I hail from the city state of Limsa Lominsa in Eorzea. I was orphaned and raised by my adopted family for as long as I could remember. I have no idea who my biological parents are and I don't know where I came from, but to be completely honest I don't care about any of that. The only family I have ever known is my brother Eldin and his father, who unfortunately passed away when I was 7 years old.

For most of my life I have lived alone with Eldin in a secluded cabin far north in Outer La Noscea. Some might have found it difficult for a small Lalafell like me to live in a house with a hulking Hellsguard Roegadyn, But it is simply something I have adapted to. Eldin actually works as a second Lieutenant in the Maelstrom (Limsa's grand company and main military force) and as such he is always out and about jumping though hoops for the admiral. But hey, Eldin gets paid some decent gil for his troubles and with him being a full blown Warrior at his age, he is one tough soldier to take down.

So one day Eldin asks me what I want to do with my life, since I am of age to go out and apply for the disciplines. Should I become a disciple of hand, and become an artisan? Should I become a disciple of Land and supply the realm with everything needed for it to function? Or perhaps I could become a disciple of War and Magic, and take to a life of adventures and hunting...

The idea rattled around in my head for a few days. I don't think I would be physically fit to become a axe wielding Marauder or a spear twirling Lancer... In fact I could barely cut wood with a simple axe. Yeah, a disciple of war was out of the question, however I was not ready to dedicate myself to a life of work as a disciple of Hand or Land. Some say that once you become a full-time disciple of hand or land, all of your free time slips away and before you know it, you don't have time for anything else... I shutter at the thought...

That only leaves disciples of Magic. I have to admit, it was like love at first sight. Magic seemed to be the best fit for someone of my... stature... but what would I dedicate my studies on? Spirit summoning Arcanists? Destruction weaving Thaumaturges? Or the divine healers, the Conjurers...

Eldin suggested that if I were to take up a magic discipline, I should take up conjurer. He said that healers are becoming a rare sight in Eorzea and monster populations are on the rise, as such there is a high demand for them and their special abilities. But what sold it for me, was when he told me that if I graduated to become a full fledged White Mage, he would guarantee a spot to work with him in the Maelstrom. My mind was made up, and now here I am...


	2. Chapter 2

Entry #2

Date: 3rd Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon

So where was I? Oh yes... Ul'dah and it's unbearable heat, right...

My conjurer training had brought me to the dry and hot land known simply as Ul'dah. Being a conjurer, part of my training was the ability to manipulate the elements of Wind, Earth, and Water. If there was one thing Ul'dah wasn't lacking in, it was Earth. Dirt, sand, mud, rocks... that is Ul'dah in a nutshell. I was there to hone my attunement to the earth element.

So, this morning I woke up in my inn room and was immediately blasted with a heat wave as I sat up in my bed groggy eyed.

 _Goddamn Ul'dah, you never have a nice day do you?_ I thought to myself.

I yawned and got out of bed. I assumed that today was going to be as bad or worse then yesterday's temperature and if that was the case there would be no way in hell I would be wearing my enchanted cotton robes... I would much rather die then go out in something like that...

Then something caught my attention, something on the table that I don't remember putting there... It seemed like some sort of white clothing, it had a note simply resting on the top of it.

' _Heya Torma! I wanted to properly welcome you to Ul'dah. Last time I seen you, you were wearing those robes of yours and I couldn't see you suffer in those again... so take these, I know they are not the most efficient for your magic but at least in these you won't catch desert fever..._

 _I hope you are at least enjoying your stay here in the city, be sure to drink lots of water until you get used to the atmosphere, oh, and don't push yourself too hard ok?_

 _-Nan'to Menethil'_

I couldn't help but grin, as soon as I walked into town for the first time I was greeted by this Nan'to. She was a female Dunesfolk Lalafell, and it was pretty obvious that she had been living there her whole life. Strangely enough she knew I was new there and she proceeded to show me the ropes of the city. She was super polite and she even payed my inn fee. When I asked why she was being so nice to me, she reviled that she was a retainer from the Immortal Flames sent to help me adapt to the new environment while I do my training. I assumed that it was some sort of collaboration between my guild and the Immortal Flames, but I was grateful for the assistance anyways.

I lifted the clothes up and seen that it was an extremely thin hempen t-shirt and a pair of baggy pants that had some sort of vents on them. This would certainly be much better then wearing that steam oven of a robe in this weather.

I slipped on the new clothing and quickly scribbled my thanks on the bottom of the note. I then fetched up my backpack and my trusty elm cane and departed out into the heat.

While in town, I stopped by the marketplace and bought several jugs of water, some dried prunes and a few ginger cookies for the road. After that I headed off to rent a chocobo porter, my destination was a small settlement in Western Thanalan that goes by the name of Horizon.

My borrowed chocobo practically sprinted full blast off the great stairs that led away from Ul'dah, I felt almost as if I was airborne the whole way down, I was impressed that the chocobo kept it's footing as it scrambled down that massive staircase, but then again, it was bred to do this route as fast as possible with no screw ups.

I watched as me and my steed weaved in between several cactuars and giant tortoises. I knew that all of these monsters were peaceful and wouldn't attack unless provoked, but still I didn't want my chocobo to accidentally bump into a cactuar and have it shoot needles into my sides.

Still though, the chocobo was the one in charge, so I just held on with all of my strength to prevent being knocked off.

Eventually the chocobo slowed down as we approached a bridge of some sort. The bridge connected both sides of a giant chasm. As we approached I glanced down, and could barely make out that there was a river and a few gigantoads hopping down below, but from up here it looked as if they were nothing but specks.

I shivered and focused back on the road in front of me, my mount slowly passed by a cargo wagon as it strolled on by. There were a middle aged Hyur and Elezen driving the wagon, they were talking something about some sort of gladiator battle going on at the arena tonight.

Much to my relief, we soon passed the massive bridge and the chocobo picked up speed again. Now that I was back on solid ground I took this time to look over my provisions for the day, that was until I heard something over to my right that startled me like nothing else.

Someone was screaming for help, it was coming from a side road that my chocobo wasn't going to head on down. Then I heard a few more words more clearly

"My god, she's going to die! Someone, is anyone there that can help!?... Please..."

Something was absolutely wrong, I trusted my instincts and hopped off my chocobo and hit the ground running towards the distressed cries. I got a quick chuckle as I watched over my shoulder to see the chocobo porter just run off not caring that it's rider clearly jumped off of it.

The side road I was running down looked as if it was not a well tread road, then I slowly realized that this trail lead up to what looked like some sort of mining site. I reached a clearing and noticed there was two figures resting on the ground, I assumed this was the voice I heard and rushed over to them.

As I got closer one of the figures raised his head and looked at me with tears in his eyes. He seemed to be a male Hyur Lancer, judging from his scale mail attire and long spear strapped on his back. He looked back down at his partner, then back up to me

"S-She is hurt real bad... I fear she is about to die on me... I didn't bring any potions... I'm such an idiot.." I glanced down at his partner, she wasn't doing so good. There were severe burns all around her body, cuts and bruises producing steady streams of blood littered her body. But other then that I noticed that she was a female Miqo'te wearing traditional Thaumaturge robes.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help" I said with confidence "I'm from the conjurer's guild, I won't let her die." Suddenly I heard a sizzling noise, my head bolted up and was greeted by several bombs floating towards us with malice filled grins.

I didn't have time to deal with them, I had to stabilize the girl before it was to late, there would be no way to bring her back if she died.

"Hey Hyur, You look like a lancer, I need you to ward off those bombs. I cannot cast spells if I am constantly interrupted!" I yelled over my shoulder. The white haired Hyur nodded and wiped away stray tears, it was clear he became instantly serious.

"Y-yeah... I can do that... Thank you, stranger..."

With that, the Hyur charged forward with his spear raised high, letting out some sort of war cry before impaling the nearest voidsent bomb.

My focus returned to the Miqo'te, she was still breathing. She was still alive. Suddenly a white magic circle formed below my feet and started slowly rotating as I readied my spell incantation.

" **Life's refreshing breeze, mend the wounds of my ally! Cure!"**

The magic circle exploded with brilliant white light, and when I opened my eyes the Miqo'te had adopted a faint yellow glow around their body. I breathed a silent sigh of relief as I seen the wounds and burns on her body slowly repair themselves. The girl's breathing slowly returned to normal, then she opened her eyes slowly.

"L-Locke... where... where are you...?" She whispered before letting out a short cough.

"Please save your strength, you are still not fully recovered... but you will be alright now." I reassured her.

"Who...Who, are you...?" She tilted her head as if she was confused she saw me and not her friend.

"The name is Torma, I'm a conjurer on my pilgrimage. Don't worry, your friend is okay, I'm going to go help him, but first this is to keep you safe." Once again, I shifted my active spell and begun the chant for a protect spell.

" **Flow of magic become thine shield, Protect!"**

Suddenly a blue sphere encased the girl, then a hexagonal pattern rippled down the sides of the barrier before becoming invisible.

"Stay there and don't move, I'll be right back" I yelled over my shoulder as I ran to assist the Hyur.

The lancer was busy fighting off three of the voidsent bombs, just as I arrived I noticed one of them preparing to self destruct behind him.

"Hey! Watch your back!" I yelled as I jumped in and shot the bomb away with a well timed water blast.

The bomb exploded just as it was propelled out of range. The Hyur glanced over toward me with a grin.

"I thank you so much for your assistance stranger, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along, is she alright now?"

I nodded to him and his focus went back to the approaching monsters "Well then... Would you mind giving me a hand then? I'll take the one on the right"

The lancer scoffed and gave his lance a quick twirl, I adjusted my cleric stance for combat.

"Yeah I got the one on the left, let's do this!" I yelled as I summoned forth three boulders the size of the bomb itself "Begone you voidsent!" At that moment the three boulders converged and squashed the bomb whole causing it to explode violently.

"Your turn" I laughed as I glanced at the Hyur "You think you can handle it?"

The Hyur laughed off that statement as he swiftly jumped onto a nearby outcropping and used that as a platform to jump again, this time he landed straight down on the creature, the lance going right though it's pathetic head. Before the bomb exploded in defeat, he quickly jumped back a safe distance and twirled his spear into a victory pose.

He looked at me again with that grin on his face "Well I think that was the last of them, we should be safe for now..."

He strapped his spear back onto his back and approached me "My name is Locke Downe, aspiring dragoon, whats your name?" He held out his hand for a handshake.

I accepted his handshake "I'm Torma, Torma Matra. I am from the conjurer's guild of Gridania."

Locke turned and ran over to his Miqo'te partner.

"Helena, are you alright?" Locke said as he knelt next to her. "You are not hurt, are you?"

Helena attempted to stand up, making slow movements as she did so "I-I think I'm fine... I think that Lalafell casted a cure spell on me..." She finally got back on her feet, I was sure that she would be alright now.

Locke turned towards me "Hey, uhh, thanks for your help Torma... you saved her life. For that I am in your debt..."

I shook my head, I didn't need any sort of payment for my actions. This was just something I did out of good intention. "Hey you don't have to owe me anything, really..."

I looked around. There were a few coblyns and yet more bombs floating around.

"Hey, were you guys heading somewhere? I don't think it is safe to stick around here anymore." I said

Locke spoke up "Yeah, we were headed to Horizon, but we must have taken a wrong turn and ended up here."

Helena gave a slight laugh "I told you that wasn't the way, but you had to just go and explore didn't you?"

Horizon was where I was headed "Hey, did you guys wanna go with me to Horizon? I was going to do my daily training there, if we are all headed there, why don't we stick together?"

"Yeah sure, why not?" Locke agreed as we headed out back down the road.

Apparently, Locke and Helena were both born and raised here in Ul'dah. However they have spent most of their years inside the city walls because of some sort of law in Ul'dah that prevents minors from leaving the city unattended. Once they were finally of age, Locke wanted to learn the way of the spear and go on an adventure to see all of Eorzea. Helena had the same wishes and had dedicated herself to learning black magic to support Locke in battle.

Locke had mentioned that they accepted a job from the adventurers guild to come out to deliver a package to some client in Horizon, but after that they were going to use up a few Aetheryte tickets to teleport back to Ul'dah.

We had finally reached the gate to Horizon. The walk there didn't seem too far away from that mine, perhaps just a five minute walk.

Suddenly I heard someone running up to me from behind.

"TOOOOORRRRMMMAAAAAA! There you are!"

I shot around and seen Nan'to running up to me, her face red and short of breath.

"Oh, Hey Nan'to. What are you doing out here?" I questioned.

"I got a parcel from your guild..." She took a deep breath "You said you were headed out to Horizon to train... so I thought I would meet you here and give you it before I forgot about it"

That was cute, she came all the way out here, seemingly on foot, just to drop something off.

Locke smiled and waved "Hey Torma, thanks for the help back there, but we have to get going. Perhaps we will see each other in Ul'dah sometime eh?"

I turned back to Locke and waved to him "Yeah, see you around. Stay safe."

Helena gave me a smile and a slight bow "You have my thanks Torma... Best of luck with your training..."

And with that the two of them wandered off into the streets of Horizon. Nan'to gave a small laugh and gave me a big smile.

"So who were those two? Meet them on the road?" She asked Innocently.

"Yeah, they were getting attacked by a group of bombs and I came to their aid."

I recounted all there was to tell about the situation. Nan'to seemed impressed.

"I would expect no less from a member of the conjurer's guild. Well, I got to get back to work, who knows how many more packages I have to deliver today..." Nan'to laughed a little before she tilted her head to the side and asked nervously "Hey Torma, umm... I was wondering if you weren't doing anything tomorrow... Would you like me to give you a tour of Ul'dah? I just had the day off, and I thought you might still be a little lost in such a big city..."

I appreciated her kindness "Oh, thank you Nan'to, It's almost like you're a mind reader" I laughed "I always find myself stopping to ask for directions. Ul'dah is a lot more complicated then Limsa that's for sure... I would greatly appreciate a tour."

Nan'to's face brightened up "Really? Oh that's great! I won't let you down Torma!" She did the Immortal Flames salute. "I got to go, but I will see you tommorow ok?"

"Yeah, thank you Nan'to. See you around" I waved

On that note, Nan'to took off back to Ul'dah on foot again. I wondered if her employers didn't even issue her a chocobo to work with.

My attention wandered to the box Nan'to had delivered to me. Sure enough, on the front was the stamp used to signify the conjurer's guild. Without anymore delay, I cracked open the package.

Inside was a deep blue Lapis Lazuli necklace and a note, most likely from the guildmaster. It read:

 _'Good day Torma,_

 _I hope you are getting adjusted to Ul'dah's climate. It certainly is a huge change of atmosphere from Gridana right? Anyways, I had forgotten to give you this necklace before you departed._

 _This necklace is enchanted, when you wear it, it will boost your magic potency so be sure to take care of it._

 _Good luck with your training, feel free to come on back when you feel you have reached proper attunment._

 _P.S. I certainly hope you are not wearing your conjurer robes over there, lest you fall ill with desert fever. The slight lost of magic potency is not worth getting sick over_

 _Take care,_

 _-E-Sumi-Yan, Guildmaster'_

I smiled to myself and wondered how the guildmaster knew anything about the world outside of Gridania. Being a Padjal, the guildmaster couldn't leave the forest. I folded up the letter and put it in my backpack. With nothing else to do I went to go do my training.

By the time I had finished my exercises, it was almost sundown. I was quite surprised how fast the day flew by. I decided to head back to my inn room.

I was excited to see what was going to happen tomorrow. I was looking forward to Nan'to's city tour...


	3. Chapter 3

Entry #3

Date: 4th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon

Last night I had a weird dream. From what I remember of it, I was floating alone in a pitch black void but the weird thing was... I remember looking at myself and not seeing me. It's hard to explain, I still seemed to be a Lalafell, but I was wearing a pitch black suit of armor that had magic flowing though it. After some time of floating in the darkness, something bright appeared. I couldn't make out what it was but it hurt my eyes just to look at it.

Then next thing I knew I was awake in my bed. I sat up and scratched my head. It was strange, I didn't feel extremely hot right now. I looked outside my room window and much to my delight, it was cloudy and raining outside.

I hopped out of my bed and went over to the Hyur sized mirror in the corner of the room. Perhaps it was because of that strange dream or whatever, but I looked over myself for a little while. It seems that I fell asleep with that clothing from yesterday, I was so tired after writing down the last journal entry. I stared deep into my light blue eyes for a second then I picked up a nearby comb and cleaned up my messy dark brown hair.

Suddenly I felt a chill, which was extremely strange. Maybe it was because of the thin clothing coupled with the cool air from the rain outside. For just this one day, I threw on my conjurer apprentice robes and headed outside.

"Heya Torma! There you are!"

I stepped out into the inn lobby and was immediately greeted by Nan'to, she certainly seemed excited about this whole tour thing, she had a massive smile on her face and was practically bouncing up and down.

"Good morning Nan'to, how are you?"

"I am well, are you ready for your tour of the city?"

Nan'to wasted no time in taking me by the hand and dragging me out of the inn and into the rain. Despite the rain, it seemed that plenty of people were still out and about in the city, I guessed the rain and the cold weather is a blessing to everyone else as well.

"I hope the rain isn't bothering you, if you want I could go get an umbrella" Nan'to said

"Nah, I'm fine. Back in Gridania it rains all the time, I'm used to it" I said before looking around me "So, where are we going first?" I asked.

Nan'to was all too eager to take me by the hand and run though the puddle ridden streets. I didn't want to break free and risk her running off without me so I tried to keep up with her to the best of my ability.

Nan'to first started by showing me the common places in the main city streets. These were all places that I have seen before though. Ul'dah's main city street was actually one large circle that runs all around the gates of the city, if you were to keep going one direction on the main street, you would eventually go around and end up back where you started. If I ever got lost I would just find the main street, then I would eventually find my inn, or a town gate.

The things I were unfamiliar with were the complex mazes of side streets that filled up the space in between the city gates and the sultana's palace.

On our way around the main streets, Nan'to had brought me to the Immortal Flames HQ which was apparently called "The Hall of Flames".

"Good afternoon Nan'to" One of the Hyur guards on watch waved as we passed on by "Lucky you, getting two days off in a row"

Nan'to chuckled "Yeah well, it was just lucky that it turned out that way I suppose" She glanced up at the sky. "I hope it doesn't rain for tomorrow though"

Out of nowhere the guard turned serious and turned around and saluted "Heads up Nan'to, here comes the general!"

Following the guard's lead, Nan'to quickly snapped a Flame Salute just as a massive Hyur in an impressive black suit of armor came on by. As he passed he glanced at us then paused mid stride.

"At ease you two, no need to be so formal." The General said in a deep booming voice

Nan'to was clearly flustered being in the presence of such a highly respected figure.

"I-I'm sorry general" She blurted out, clearly not thinking, but wanting to say something

The general gave a quiet grin "Hey, you are the new retainer we hired recently, yes?"

"Y-Yes Sir!" Nan'to practically yelled out, her posture becoming stiff

"Nan'to Menethil correct? So your Jajaku's daughter..." The general gave a quiet laugh "He's a good man, I expect greatness from you..." The general's gaze wandered until he noticed me.

"...and who do we have here? A new recruit?" He questioned.

Before I had a chance to introduce myself, Nan'to seemed to beat me to it, I wasn't sure if she thought he asked her, or if she feels the need to impress him.

"This is Torma, he's from the conjurer's guild on his pilgrimage. He's new to town so I was just going to show him around, sir!"

Suddenly the general nodded and gave me a bow. Which was something I was not expecting he would do for me. I returned the favor by offering a bow of my own. Nan'to had a shocked expression on her face, almost like she didn't believe the general was treating me with such respect.

"Pleasure to meet you Torma, and welcome to Ul'dah. My name is Raubahn Aldynn, general of the Immortal Flames... I hope that your time here has been comfortable, I realize it isn't easy adapting to the heat..."

"Oh no worries, it wasn't too bad" I lied. "I hear Ul'dah has been very accommodating to many conjurers on their pilgrimages in the past. On behalf of all the others in my guild, I thank you for your hospitality."

Raubahn nodded "Very good... well, I must be going. I have other business to take care of."

Raubahn saluted to Nan'to and the guard and took his leave. The two held their salutes until the general was out of eyesight.

"Whoa, Torma!" Nan'to blurted out, immediately dropping the formalities "I don't think I have ever seen the general bow to anyone other then the members of the Royalists and the sultana herself!"

I shrugged my shoulders "I guess he was just trying to be nice to me..."

We continued on our way though the city streets. Nan'to was playfully joking on how I must be some form of royalty for the general to act that way. Eventually we had entered a plaza with a bunch of impressive looking water fountains, the whole place was under a roof so we could be dry for a little bit.

"Let's take break, my feet are killing me" Nan'to sighed as she plopped down on a nearby bench.

I sat next to her and let my eyes wander, taking in the scenery.

"Ul'dah sure is a fantastic looking place... I wouldn't mind living here if it weren't for the unbearable heat"

"Yeah... I have lived here my whole life and it's still amazing"

One question had been milling around in my head, I wondered if it would sound rude but I decided there was no harm in asking.

"So how did you get a job with the Immortal Flames?"

Nan'to giggled "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you"

"Oh come on, I'm just curious..."

Nan'to took a deep breath almost as if she was mustering the courage to say something.

"Well you see... It was something my father had arranged for me... he is a high ranking member of the Royalists" She nervously played with a strand of her short silver hair. Her glassy silver dunesfolk eyes glancing away. "The only reason I got the job is because my dad had set it up for me."

It was clear she was nervous, I tried to put her mind at ease "Well there's nothing wrong with that. In fact my brother thinks he can get me a job with the Maelstrom. With such a high position he holds, it would be the only way I would get a job like that too..."

Nan'to looked back up at me "Y-You don't think it's weird that my father is basically royalty?"

I crossed my arms behind my head and leaned back on the bench "Nah, I don't really care much about rankings or royalty. To me everyone is on the same level, and at the end of the day, we are all just people living our lives..."

I gave a small chuckle as I remembered something from yesterday "But there is something I am wondering about... why was it that you made your delivery to me yesterday on foot? Don't they supply you with a company chocobo? I know my brother got one when he started working with the Maelstrom"

Nan'to's voice went quiet "Well, I have to admit... I am allergic to chocobos..."

We both burst out laughing. It was ridiculous that she had to run from place to place without some kind of mount.

"I guess that shows how dedicated you are" I laughed "Your the only person I know that is willing to run all the way to Horizon to drop off a silly necklace"

"Well at least they are a little less strict with me because of that fact..."

We sat in silence for a little bit. Just enjoying the slowing pace of the raindrops smacking on the stone covered streets. The soothing sound of the fountains splashing water. It was amazingly cool right now, it was almost as if I was back in Gridania or even Limsa.

Suddenly, what broke my focus was the sounds of wooden boards being nailed together. My eyes glanced to my right and I noticed that two Hyur workers were barricading off a nearby street. I noticed that this was happening all around town but I hadn't thought much on it until just then.

"Hey Nan'to, why are they closing off so many streets?" I questioned

I seemed to snap Nan'to out of her trance, I guessed that she was enjoying the silence too.

"Wha-? Oh, those..." She turned to me with a confused expression "You didn't know? The Festival of the Hunt is tomorrow. That's why everyone in town gets a day off, Ul'dah is hosting the celebration this year..."

Suddenly it all came back to me. How could I forget? The festival of the hunt was a yearly tradition in Eorzea to celebrate when all the city states banded together and fought back the destructive primals. Every year it alternated which city would host the festival. Every festival has areas blocked off and filled with monsters, contestants then enter these areas and do battle with the monsters, the more monsters they kill, the more points they score. After the festival has ended the contestants can then purchase prizes with the points that they earn. Even for those who don't participate, there are viewing areas all around for citizens to enjoy the action.

"Oh yeah how could I forget..." I muttered.

Nan'to suddenly jumped up with a bright smile on her face "Hey, you should participate! It would be a great chance to put your element bending to use in actual combat!"

I was startled by the sudden request. I didn't know how to respond at first. My first thought was that I was not really cut out for something like that. I caught myself before I declined her suggestion. That would be a great way to train my abilities with little risk to myself. From what I hear, they give participants special rings that warp them to safety when they become too wounded. This would be the perfect reason to practice my combat magic in absolute safety.

Nan'to was still trying to convince me "Y-You don't need to go for the big prizes. Even if you get the smaller ones, it's just for the fun of it right?"

My mind was made up "Yeah... I guess there is no harm in trying huh?"

Nan'to let out a cheer and jumped up and down "Oh how wonderful! It will be soo much fun! I guarantee it. I will be watching and cheering you on from the crowd."

Nan'to paused "Wait... we need to get you signed up... We need to go to the adventurers guild before the signup closes!"

On that note Nan'to took my hand and basically dragged me along the ground. Off we went to go get myself signed up.

A lowly Conjurer in an arena with several species of monsters...

What could possibly go wrong...?

Perhaps there will be other adventurers willing to team up with me once we get in there...

Oh man... what have I gotten myself into now?


	4. Chapter 4

Entry #4

Date: 5th Sun of the 3rd Astral Moon

The Festival of the Hunt, today was the day to prove that my training in the elementals was not a complete waste. For such an event, I needed to be ready and on the top of my game. It was quite the shame that I didn't feel like getting out of my bed this morning.

After the rain from yesterday had come and passed, the heat and the blazing sun returned with a vengeance. I lazily pulled myself out of bed and wandered over to the mirror which had my robes hanging off of it.

How was I going to be at optimal condition if it was too damn hot to wear my enchanted robes...

Suddenly there was a knock on my door.

"Good morning Torma!" Nan'to gleefully cheered as I lazily opened the door.

"Morning" I replied, with a little less enthusiasm then I wanted. Nan'to immediately detected that something was wrong

"Hey Torma, you don't look so good... are you alright?" She questioned as I retreated back into my dark room.

"I have a bit of a problem... I want to do my best in the Festival today, To do that I need to wear all of my enchanted equipment, but I'm afraid I would die of heat exhaustion first" I motioned my head over to my robes.

It seemed that Nan'to had anticipated something like this.

"I got a surprise for you then" She stated, her smile growing wide. She dug into her satchel that hung loosely on her waist. It seemed she had a lot of things to dig though to get what she wanted. Suddenly she basically threw out a bright red flask and held it out triumphantly like I should be amazed at what it was. To be honest I had no clue what it was.

"What's that? Some kind of potion?" I innocently asked.

Nan'to placed the bottle into my hand and gave a slight nod, grinning from ear to ear "This, my friend, is the cure for what ails you!" She chuckled "A high quality Fire Ward Potion, straight from the Alchemist guild itself! Go ahead, take a sip." She urged me to give it a try.

I figured there was no harm in it. I popped the cork off and took a quick swig. Strangely enough, the concoction actually tasted pretty good. To me it tasted like rolanberries which was one of my favorite wild berries to eat. I felt a strange sensation run up from my feet all the way to the top of my head, it felt like a slightly numbing feeling but it only lasted a few seconds. Then the effect started to kick in. Much to my surprise, it felt almost as if I was cooling down.

"So, you like it? Will this help you out?"

"This is amazing! Thank you so much Nan'to, how can I repay you for this?" Slowly but surely my body felt as if I were back in Limsa temperatures.

Nan'to just laughed "Don't worry about it, that one is on the house" She turned to leave "All I want in return for that, is for you to take down as many monsters as you can" Nan'to looked over her shoulder as she opened the door, she threw up a thumbs up. "You are representing your guild, make them proud. I look forward to seeing you in action"

On that note Nan'to left me to my lonesome. I simply stared at the miraculous crimson liquid. Why hadn't I known about this before? Time to put this to the test, I threw on my conjurer robes, fetched my elm cane and left into town to find something to eat.

Despite Nan'to mentioning that everywhere was closed today, I had no trouble finding food and novelty vendors dotted all around town. Ul'dah was packed full of people today. I'm sure there would be people from Gridania, Limsa and maybe even Ishgard, all here to enjoy the festival in one way or another. That made me wonder if Eldin was going to be here. I wondered on the possibility of bumping into him here. Probably not though, he would have let me know if he was coming.

I had purchased a simple bun with butter and decided to go check out some of the areas they were setting up for the main event. If I were to guess, I would say that about half to three quarters of the whole city were blocked off for the event. You could barely walk for a minute in one direction.

I had happened to wander to the great Ul'dah coliseum that was right in the middle of town and it was no surprise that it too was going to be used in the event. I found a seat and started to eat my bread. I watched as many of the heavily armored workers set up cages in the arena. I wondered why the monsters inside were not making any noises... perhaps they were put to sleep for now...?

"It's quite the sight to see huh? I can't wait for it to start..."

I looked over and realized that over to my right, a small Miqo'te girl, no older then seven years old was sitting next to me. She had her hands propping up her head and she playfully dangled her small legs from where she was sitting. She was so short that her legs couldn't touch the ground from where she was sitting. She looked at me and giggled

"I'm just too excited. I can't wait!"

I smiled "Yeah it must be fun to watch so many brave heroes fight off all those monsters. I can only imagine how it is to actually be down there."

The girl leaned her head, as if thinking about something "Yeah... well my sister is going to be participating, she says that she is going to have lots of fun." The girl threw down her arms "It's just not fair that we have to wait until we are older to have fun too..."

She turned to me "So are you going to watch the whole festival? I know most people don't stay for the whole thing but it gets really good right at the end!"

I chuckled "I'm not watching, I'm actually participating"

The girl wore a dumbfounded look on her face "What!? How are you participating? Only grownups can take part in the festival... your lying..."

Did she think I was a kid? "Excuse me? I'm twenty years old, I am a grownup."

The girl's face shifted to shock, then confusion, then finally the realization hit her. Her face turned beet red.

"O-Oh... a-are you a Lalafell...?" She stuttered "I'm so sorry sir, I didn't mean it. You look a lot like my Hyur classmates."

"Oh? How so?" I questioned.

"W-Well, your eyes... all the Lalafells I see all have glassy pupil-less eyes. Your eyes are like a regular Hyur's..."

I gave a playful laugh, I supposed it was a common mistake to confuse Hyur children with Plainsfolk Lalafells.

"Well you see..." I began explaining "I am a Plainsfolk Lalafell, that means that I don't live in deserts like these Dunesfolk do. I'm from Limsa, where it is much, much cooler."

The girl scratched her head, I wondered if she was processing what I said.

"So... not all Lalafells have those unique eyes?" She questioned.

I took another bite of my bread before answering "Well... the reason Dunesfolk have unique eyes is because they had adapted to the desert environment after so many generations of living in the same place. The reason their eyes look the way they do is because evolution had created a protective lens that shields their eyes from bright sunlight... a lot like a pair of sunglasses" I took another quick bite "Underneath the blurriness you see on the surface, their eyes are just the same as mine..."

"Oh, okay..." the girl paused for a second "So what about the gemstone on the forehead? Do Dunesfolk only wear those as well?"

It took me a few seconds to know what she was referring to "Oh those... yeah, the Dunesfolk have a shared belief that wearing a gemstone with markings of their zodiac symbol will grant them good luck, good fortune, and favor with the gods." I paused to take a bite of my bread. "I don't do that stuff though, I haven't seen many besides the Dunesfolk that do something like that." I shrugged "I think it would be uncomfortable to have a gem attached to my head"

The girl giggled a little bit "Oh... I get it now... I didn't know that." She glanced back to the arena "Thank you for teaching me something new today Mr... umm... Mr..."

Oh yeah, I hadn't given her my name. "My name is Torma" I said.

The girl looked up and smiled "Oh... well... thank you Mr. Torma"

I chuckled, the girl was being formal with me of all people "No need to give me any sort of title, just call me Torma"

The girl held out her hand for a handshake "My name is Isabelle Weathvane, pleased to meet you Torma!"

I threw the last little bit of bread into my mouth and brushed off my hands. I shook Isabelle's hand.

"Pleased to meet 'cha" I stood up and brushed off my robe "I have to get going, so I wish your sister good luck. Enjoy the show!"

"Bye Torma, good luck out there" Isabelle waved as I turned to leave.

I smiled. I was feeling great today, that potion was working wonders for me. I could use my magic to my maximum capacity, maybe now I may stand on my own competing against trained mercenaries and warriors. I might be able to actually take down enough monsters to get a half decent prize at the end of the day.

I laughed at myself. Here I am thinking like a black mage, I was supposed to be a healer in training but here I am training offensive magic against monsters. It was a part of my training though, before I can properly protect others, I first have to learn how to defend myself.

The sun was almost all the way up in the sky, noon is approaching, the festival is about to begin. I headed over to where my starting gate was, it was over near marketplace.

I wondered where Nan'to would be watching from, I was doing this partially because she was so excited about getting me to take part.

I arrived at the gate, but there was still time before it all begins. I relaxed, wrote this entry and mentally prepared myself for what is to come.


End file.
